Career Services in Coda! [Katie Rivard]

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Career Services in Coda! [Katie Rivard]

Storytelling & Presentations

Lesson: How to Present Your Work Like a Pro

15 minute read

Whether it’s making sure you have answers lined up for all the likely questions, or rehearsing the narratives for your projects, there’s no such thing as being too prepared for an interview.

One common request from hiring managers is for interviewees to create a presentation to showcase during their interview process to one person or a group of people on the team. This tactic allows them to gain better insight into your personality, process, and the work you've done.

It can also help you prepare more effectively for an interview and look professional while doing so. While giving a presentation may seem nerve-wracking at first, it's no different than any other problem you solved during your time in UX Academy.

Start by defining your audience: the company and its hiring managers. From there, define a story you want to provide them about you and your path into design. Showcase your work and talk about how you achieved the final results. Leave time for questions either throughout the presentation or at the very end, depending on the interviewer's style.

To ensure you have the right tools and concepts in mind, let's review some tips for creating the perfect presentation.

Tools

There are many tools in the market that you can use to create your presentation. Common slideshow presentation tools like Keynote, Google Slides, or PowerPoint are effective and are simple to use and create. Prezi provides some additional flexibility while adding some flare, if you choose to go that route.

Newer prototyping tools like InVision Studio or Principle could also be used in creating presentations, however, it may be more time-consuming to get up to speed on their functionality.

Regardless of the tool you select, what matters is the content within the presentation. As said before, "Content is King", and hiring managers really want to understand who you are more so than what tool you used to created a presentation.

Use of Imagery

Choose well-crafted images for your presentation (probably no more than one per slide) that support your presentation’s story, and don’t detract or overpower. Make sure to brand your presentation through a consistent visual language that mimics that of your portfolio, cover letter, resume, and business cards.

For imagery (especially your refined wireframes and prototypes), make sure they're visible and thoughtfully-placed, and that mockups are displayed on a respective device mockup too.

When displaying your work, be sure to talk through each project and the process from beginning to end. It's not necessary to include text on these slides, but you should utilize some sort of note-taking ability to jot down the information for each image.

Text and Typography

A little text (when thoughtfully composed) can go a long way, so keep text succinct so as to prevent your audience from losing interest, perhaps making them bold and like headings on the screen (e.g. “Problem” or “Solution”).

When designing your presentation, it may be helpful to start with the text first to help you stay focused on the content, order, and clarity of your presentation's main points.

Is the text relaying the message and points clearly?

What context should you provide at the beginning to direct your audience's focus?

If feedback is desired, did you include a slide that clearly communicates what type of feedback you're looking for?

Are the images and text enhancing each other (vs. competing or feeling redundant)?

Do you offer a compelling story about your design process that includes a walk-through of each section, your rationale, and benefits?

And don't forget to choose typography and font sizes that are legible too. A general rule of thumb is to keep font size no smaller than 18 point font and preferably a 24 point as the minimum size. For typography, a sans-serif font is highly recommended as it tends to be more readable on digital screens.

If you plan to use custom typography, you may want to ensure you will be presenting on your own laptop, where the font resides. If you are to use a company computer to present, it's likely the font might not be available, which then might break the design of your presentation.

Color, Contrast, and Whitespace

If you haven't caught it by now, the design of your presentation should follow your learning of design principles. When selecting colors to use, feel free to remain consistent with your portfolio and branding. But keep in mind how it will be displayed when presenting.

Different displays, such as large screen TVs, may show colors differently from your laptop screen. Try to focus on high contrast and whitespace to ensure readability and legibility for text as well as your imagery.

You can take an existing theme from your software of choice, and manipulate it to work in your favor versus starting from scratch.

Whitespace is a vital (and sometimes undervalued) tool for designers. Use it to give your slide elements room and to subtly direct your audience as you move along with your presentation.

Add Your Humor and Personality

While you can do everything right based on the tips outlined here, remember that the most memorable presentations offer an engaging story and an authentic perspective. Don't be afraid to include moments of humor or other endearing aspects of your personality where you feel it's appropriate, while remaining professional and focused.

With that said though, avoid gimmicky devices to catch your audience's attention. For instance, using animations can be compelling, but if they're used to distract from a lack of compelling content, then the audience will likely be able to tell and it won't enhance your presentation.

Backups

No matter how nice the venue is or the assurances that you'll have everything you'll need for your presentation to go smoothly, make sure to always prepare in advance, in case something goes wrong, such as your computer shutting down or if your portfolio drops into a puddle.

For instance, save at least one backup of your presentation (e.g. email one to yourself or save elsewhere). Try to avoid presenting from a website since it's possible that WiFi may not be available.

If possible, do a test run of your presentation at the actual venue (or one that's similar) where you'll give your presentation. This allows you to check for any technical issues or problems with your presentation's legibility.

Have a backup plan in case WiFi is problematic. Take time to download prototypes and your presentation. Be ready to connect your mobile hotspot or bring your laptop if you have the proper connectors.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Again, you can never be overly prepared. While it may feel awkward to practice your presentation, doing so a few times will give you the chance to notice and improve problem areas. Try doing so in front of a friend or family member (or even with your Career Coach), and perfect your presentation so you limit the amount of mistakes you make during the actual interview. This will also help you become more comfortable as you respond to questions and describe the story of each project.

Ask for feedback from a friend or mentor about your delivery, pacing, intonation, and body language. Instead of reading from a script, try to use keywords or images to help you remember your next presentation point. If you're not given an explicit timeframe beforehand, then aim for less than 20 minutes.

Rather than reiterating your presentation's major points, end your presentation with a memorable insight or surprising perspective.

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